How mainstream are we?

I'm not generally one to talk about other services, but I got an interesting email from a virtual world that is pretty clearly not a serious competitor to Linden Research.

FreeRealms claims to have one million registrants as of this morning.

They went open beta what, two weeks ago or something like that?

Now, granted, Freerealms is more like running around in a happy cartoon where you can skill up on cooking or mining or something. To win badges and little coins. The reason I signed up was to make sure I got my name, "Desmond Shang" there. Though as far as I know, it's possibly duplicated. I don't know.

But still.

One MILLION registered.

Is this actual interest, or is there someone botting the place?

I can't figure it out. Honestly, it's the kind of place that would barely hold the attention of my kids. I chose "chef" when I did the tutorial. After a lot of mouse clicking to slice and dice, mash and stir ingredients, I made a stew. Making that stew is what allowed me to get to the rest of the game.

Is this what people *want*, something like FreeRealms? Are we *actually* the intellectual heavyweights of the metaverse here? I'm beginning to think that the worst blingtard in SL has more technical understanding of the grid here, than will ever be required in some of these lightweight worlds.

Sure, it's a cute little world... just... wow, it feels like *everyone* is playing as a thirteen year old in there ~ Disneyland's Toon Town theme park has more gravitas and grit than FreeRealms. For all I can tell, maybe that's the draw.

It's not holding my interest; a place like "FreeRealms" is the exact antithesis of what I'm into. I guess if it was "LandBaronRealms" or something and I could rent out one of their villages it would be different.

Yet if this is the future of the metaverse, what people *really* want... I'd prefer SL in 2008.

Are we all really so esoteric, here?

You can count me as having two of those Million. I made an account, then put it away. Later that week, i made my 4 year old daughter one. We have had fun flying around as a pixie. But it isn't someplace I would spend time on my own.

Looks pretty cheesy to me.

Just like LL, they're counting people who signed up, logged in for five minutes and never went back. So it's far more about their marketing than actual interest in the game, and Sony has plenty of marketing, including being able to list it on their Station service for existing players.

FR does have some things other VWs could learn from though; it's VERY professionally designed, from a much smoother download experience (you visit the site and it downloads the absolute minimum possible, and then streams smoothly once you're playing - plus, it is the first "downloadable but runs through a browser" game I've seen which doesn't cause Vista to have a fit over permissions) to the in-world presentation which is really smooth.

The biggest appeal of FR compared to SL is that you can very easily "be" the role of your choice - if you become a Chef you can make food, level up to make better food, and the food will be of use to yourself and other people; to achieve that in SL could take weeks of work and only a limited percentage can do it.

O_O


In all seriousness, Club Penguin does extremely well, to take a similar example. Certainly, there is a place for "lightweight" worlds, but I suspect their target audience will be younger. But remember, Google Lively demonstrated that you can't just throw a world up there and expect it to take off, it has to be engaging in some way. It sounds as if FreeRealms has a cute theme, with fun games (at least fun if you're under twelve). To me, it sounds as if they have a good chance of doing very well

So far, to me, it sounds a lot like playing The Sims 2. I might check it out as a way to goof off with my daughter who is 12 and lives 1500 miles away.

"Esoteric" may not quite the right word here, but whatever word you choose, we are in a small segment of the population who tend to be intelligent, tolerant [on many levels], creative and with a spirit of adventure combined with a healthy does of curiosity.

And, no, I don't have any proof or numbers to back up this statement. Just found this to be true from my own SL experiences.

/me makes a note to send the Guv a chef's hat and apron for his Rezday.

Sounds like the "Webkins World" stuff that my 13 year old real-life daughter loves playing in. Not of interest to me in the slightest.

Hmm it has crude humour and fantasy violence and is aimed at those ten and above, it's backed by Sony so it has a strong brand name behind it and you enter the world via the web browser. One million registrations probably isn't that surprising, now whether they can keep a large amount of those people engaged is a different matter.

I'm one of the million too but after playing it for an hour I was bored to tears and I've not logged in since. It's target audience is under-13. I don't think even mainstream adults would be interested, but I'm sure their kids would love it.

Des, SL residents are not mainstream. At least, not those who actually stay.

We're leading edge, we're pioneers, we're nonconformists and outcasts. We're the people your mother warned you against.

Like all frontier societies, SL acts as a filter. Natural selection in action. The people who thrive in the SL environment are above average in computer skills, in imagination, in creativity. They are innovators and entrepreneurs. They're problem-solvers. They're opinionated and individualistic and often difficult.

Let the limp noodles have their FreeRealms and their Theres.

I prefer the company I keep here.

I doubt there's been any studies proving your point here, but I'd say you're right on the mark. It never ceases to amaze me at how sharp most of the people in RA are.

Sounds to me a bit like Everquest (also by Sony). I enjoyed it for 7 years. It also allowed one to level up to become a Master baker, blacksmith, ale-maker, jeweler, etc. but to achieve that was mind-numbingly boring and entailed either making component parts or purchasing them, which then entailed going out and killing/looting the mobs that had those components if one didn't have enough plat. (There was a reason it was called "Evercrack" lol.

The grouping was ok, but being more of a loner, I preferred at the most fighting with a partner, so my leveling was slooooowwwww. I finally got to the point that I logged in and just went to newbie places and buffed them to the hilt for the fun of it.

Plus I didn't want to continue paying 15.00 USD for the above.

SL offers a much greater wealth of activities imo.

While you're correct in many ways, and it might apply especially to many of the forum regulars, I have to burst this bubble a little bit.

The majority of people in the SL environment aren't creators or entrepreneurs.

The "natural selection" of SL necessarily excludes a lot of people who _are_ imaginative creators or entrepreneurs, simply because it's a business economy and not everyone can succeed, no matter how good everyone is.

And Czari, I'm not quite sure how you can say that SL offers a greater realm of activities than FreeRealms.. one potential problem with SL is that there isn't enough differentiation between different activities.

Sounds like it's basically the crafting bits of Everquest or Warcraft without any of the combat or fighting. I'd say "all bun and no meat", but it's more like "all wrapper and no burger".

I can make food in RL that's actually useful for other people. REALLY useful, not pretend-useful. And I'm a crappy chef... my son kicks my butt in the kitchen.

I signed up at FreeRealms, logged in once, never went back.

YESSSSSS!

There is fighting in FreeRealms, but it's much simpler than in EQ or WoW, and it's voluntary. That is, you can explore all over the world, and you might see a monster walking around, but you won't fight it unless you click on it.



Sure, but the same criticism could apply to furniture in SL. The mainstream wants virtual worlds to allow them to do things they don't have the talent to do in RL, not to just pass the talent requirement on.

We're "quirky". =^-^=

/me respectfully disagrees.

I meant "creative" in the broadest sense. Not everyone in SL creates things and sells them. I create stuff all the time, but I have exactly one item out for sale (and I've sold exactly two copies of it. ). Not only that, but not all "creative" people actually MAKE things. One of my friends can't edit her way out of a wet paper sack...but she's created a unique and pleasing avatar and style for herself.

Not everyone who's an entrepreneur measures success in terms of money. Another of my friends started a school for newbies. The students don't pay for their classes...unless they do so voluntarily, by tipping the instructor. The school gets money, when it gets any at all, from sponsors. Mostly, it runs out of my friend's checkbook. She pays the rent, and a small salary for instructors. And yet, she's doing something she loves, and giving back to the SL community.

I maintain that if you come to SL, and you STAY, then you like something about it besides just the poseballs.

Absolutely correct, as there are some who are creative thinkers and build not a thing.

My motto is, "I touch it; I break it." [If I tried making an avatar it would resemble something out of a Harlan Ellison novel.]

Be careful you don't fall into the trap of thinking, "people like me are smart, and people not like me aren't." It's what I find most annoying (and laughable) about geek communities.

Most people aren't like the forum regulars, either. For many people in SL it's about hanging out and shopping. Is that any more intellectual than FR? For that matter, what does thousands of posts in an internet forum say about someone's RL social skills and time use? The answer is, not much at all, but can you see how someone not involved might think it does? Now re-evaluate how you value other people's time use.

There's a thread about FR across the street. I haven't read it but it looks like they're still finding amusement in it on page 46, five weeks later.

I thought we had decided in some other thread that we are deviants.

/me deviates... "There, better?" (^_^)y